Mezcal, Cafe de Olla

• Limited release mezcal produced in Santiago Matatlàn, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Carlos Méndez Blas
• Distilled from 100% Espadín (Agave angustifolia) matured 7–10 years
• Cooked in a conical earthen oven
• Milled using a traditional stone tahona
• Open-air fermented in wooden tanks (tinas) 3–4 days using ambient yeast and underground spring water
• Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills
• The second distillation sees the addition of coffee beans, cinnamon, oranges, and star anise
• Led, of course, by the added botanicals—coffee, cinnamon, orange, anise—the nose is bright and fresh with supporting aromas of wet clay, vanilla foam, and bell pepper; the texture is light and racy, finishing with notes of toasted hazelnut, old leather, and a whisper of cacao
• 46% ABV

This limited edition release from Cruz de Fuego is inspired by the classic clay pot preparation of café de olla, a Mexican culinary staple typically prepared by boiling coffee, sweetening it with raw sugar, and aromatizing it with cinnamon and/or other fruits and spices. Cruz de Fuego’s bold, aromatic mezcal—produced from fully matured Espadín grown at elevations over 6,500 feet above sea level—proves a perfect canvas for the botanicals introduced during the second distillation, creating a robust spirit brimming with of notes of brewed coffee, bright orange, roasted nuts, and mellow lingering cinnamon.